Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Fact Sheet

Transcription

1 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Fact Sheet The Oscar and Emmy Award-winning Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE ), a professional membership association, is the preeminent leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, worldwide. An internationally recognized and accredited organization, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines. The Society is sustained by more than 6,000 members motionimaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students who meet in Sections throughout the world. Through the Society s partnership with the Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools, and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. SMPTE strives toward its goal through its Three Pillars: Membership Promoting networking and interaction Standards Developing industry standards Education Enhancing expertise through the Motion Imaging Journal, conferences, seminars, webcasts, and Section meetings Media Contact: Aimée Ricca, SMPTE Marketing and Communication T M F aimeericca@smpte.org Mobile App Available for ios, Android, and Kindle: smpte.mobapp.at Virtual Press Kit: September v5

2 When You See High-Quality Motion-Imaging Content, You See SMPTE Have you ever seen the color bars television test pattern? Watched a live sports broadcast in high definition, or a movie in 3D? Downloaded or streamed content your device? Gone to see a live sporting or music event? Or, used closed captioning? Then you ve most likely seen the Oscar and Emmy Awardwinning Society of Motion Picture Television Engineers (SMPTE ) in action! SMPTE standards touch nearly every piece of motionimaging content consumed by billions of viewers around the world, ensuring that content is seen and heard in the highest possible quality on any display screen. Our standards also enable repeatable workflows and profitable business models for content creators and distributors, as well as the manufacturers who support them. Whether you re watching on a TV at home, video online, in a theatre, or on a smart device, SMPTE is there. With nearly 100 years of motion-imaging standards leadership, SMPTE is the innovator of some of the most iconic standards for high-quality content, as well as those that are facilitating the transition to an IP-based multiscreen world. SMPTE Standards are recognized across the world. SMPTE is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and recognized by the International Standards Organization (ISO) as an international standards organization. Among its many roles on the international stage, SMPTE chairs the ISO Technical Committee on Cinematography, TC-36. SMPTE Innovation SMPTE was originally founded in 1916 to address the lack of standards in the emerging cinema industry where there was no agreement on film width, image format, perforations, etc., and only a small chance that a specific film could be displayed on a given projector. Today, SMPTE maintains a multitude of standards for film gauges from 8mm to 70mm, covering all these parameters plus many others such as edge coding, analog and digital sound. SMPTE standards also cover lens mounts, spools, film processing and storage, cinema sound, and a plethora of other areas needed to ensure interoperability in a complex, global industry. While, the use of actual film is declining, SMPTE cinema standards still continue to form the foundation for the industry, and a level of performance that is the benchmark for digital cinema. SMPTE Digital Cinema standards from those for higher frame rate capture and production, with high-performance, fast compression, and pristine projection, to others supporting efficient, interoperable workflows, better security, and a consistent and engaging movie-going experience ushered in the era of digital cinema and are enabling its rapid expansion. SMPTE s Cinema Sound Systems Technology Committee (TC-25CSS) is charged with the creation of SMPTE standards and recommended practices to address opportunities created by the many technical advances since cinema sound standards last were created, nearly 30 years

3 ago. Through this work, the committee is striving to improve the quality and consistency of cinema sound, so that no matter which cinema you view a film in the experience is as close as possible to that of the mixing stage. Digital Picture Exchange (DPX) is a common file format for digital intermediate and visual effects work (VFX). DPX provides a great deal of flexibility in storing color information, color spaces and color planes for exchange between production facilities. Multiple forms of packing and alignment are possible. The DPX specification allows for a wide variety of metadata to further clarify information stored within each file. DPX is the worldwide chosen format for still frames storage in most digital intermediate postproduction facilities and film labs. SMPTE has created video standards for many years, initially for North America and other countries adopting like standards. In the 1980s, following close cooperation with SMPTE on development of the first international digital standards, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) decided to continue the close cooperation, and to rely on SMPTE to publish standards for all areas of the world. SMPTE has accomplished progress in both analog and digital formats, and many of its standards have been used as the basis for ITU Recommendations. SMPTE Color Bars Television Test Patterns have set THE consistent reference point for more than four decades to ensure color is calibrated correctly on broadcast monitors, programs, and on video cameras and displayed beautifully for consumers. SMPTE Time Code gives every frame of video its own unique identifying number, makes digital editing possible, and enables the association of other data to make audio and video even more meaningful, accurate, and repeatable, whether in post for a major studio release, in hard news environments or live sports production. It even synchronizes music and is often used to automate lighting, pyrotechnics, video, and other effects in live concert production SMPTE Timed Text is accelerating the transition of broadcast content to the Internet and makes it more easily accessible to tens of millions of people in the U.S. with disabilities. SMPTE Timed Text is also the basis for subtitles and captions in the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem s UltraViolet format for commercial movie and television content and is used by several video services and Internet video players. In 2012 the FCC declared the SMPTE Timed Text standard a safe harbor interchange and delivery format. As a result, captioned video content distributed via the Internet that uses the standard will comply with the 21 st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, a landmark U.S. law designed to ensure the accessibility, usability, and affordability of broadband, wireless, and Internet technologies for people with disabilities. Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) assists in creating a consistent production of HDR-support content for multiplatform distribution. It means that viewer will see a wider range from the brightest whites to the darkest blacks providing a substantial enhancement to HD or UHDTV pictures. Serial Digital Interface (SDI and HD-SDI), a well-established standard in the broadcasting industry, is a family of digital video interfaces used for broadcast-grade video. High-Definition SDI (HD-SDI) is used to transfer uncompressed high-definition video. These standards are used for transmission of uncompressed, unencrypted digital video signals (optionally including embedded audio and time code) within television facilities. SMPTE was awarded an Emmy statuette for HD-SDI in SMPTE Transport of High Bit Rate Media Signals over IP Networks creates a standardized framework for the transport of video over Internet Protocols (IP) networks. This framework is vital for future-proofing content creation and distribution infrastructures as the media and

4 entertainment industries undergo massive transitions to the IP-based enterprises that facilitate multipoint transmission, a critical enabler in monetizing content and advertising in new ways across multiple screens, such as computers, smart phones, and tablets. Compression Systems - SMPTE has published standards for a number of video codecs, so as to provide well-reviewed documentation and enhanced interoperability. The latest of these is the VC-5 standard family that provides documentation and reference software for the video compression used in GoPro systems and workflows. SMPTE also has a new project to document the Apple ProRes codec. Coding of Tactile Essence: Want to feel the roar of the engine while watching a car race? Tactile essence will make this possible! Tactile/ haptic or motion enabled broadcasts and transmissions can be described as the end to end use of technology to capture, insert and/or encode into the broadcast or transmission, transmit, decode and conversion of the tactile or haptic feeling and impact of a live event and so that a remote viewer can receive and experience not only audio and video but the haptic or tactile feeling and impact of that event, regardless of the transmission means whether cable, satellite, over-the-air, or Verizon FiOS.a SMPTE: 800 Standards, 64 Countries, and 6,000 Members Strong Since its founding in 1916, SMPTE has developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines, and it continues to innovate at a rapid clip, generating an average of 50 new standards annually focused on film and digital cinema, television, and Internet video. By providing structure, organization, and interoperability, SMPTE has helped advance the motion-imaging industry through all of the major transitions, from the advent and integration of sound and color to the shift from celluloid and analog to digital formats, including digital cinema, high-definition TV (HDTV), and 3D TV. In addition to thousands of individual professionals globally, more than 200 organizations from around the world support SMPTE, with sustaining members representing leaders across the media and entertainment industry. SMPTE Diamond-level Sustaining Members include CBS, Inc., Disney/ABC/ESPN, Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Fox Entertainment Group, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Electronics, Technicolor, Inc., Turner, and Warner Bros. SMPTE continues its intensive global expansion strategy, with sections spanning the globe. In 2012 two new sections were approved. In India (Mumbai), Ujwal Nirgudkar chairs an enthusiastic Section from one of the most prolific movie-making areas of the world. In the U.K., Chris Johns chairs a Section with more than 350 members.

5 Industry Awards and Honors: Oscar, Emmy Awards, and More On 9 January 2014, SMPTE added a seventh Emmy to its collection: SMPTE received an Emmy Award for Technology and Engineering for 2013 by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) in recognition of the Society s work on development, and standardization of the High-Definition Serial Digital Interface (HD-SDI) standard: Read more Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Oscar statuette for contributions to the advancement of the motion picture industry (1957). NATAS Citation for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development for the standards work associated with the compatible One-Inch Type C videotape format and for the technical development of the Universal Video Tape Time Code ( ). Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) Citation for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development for expeditiously achieving the difficult task of obtaining industry agreement on the One-Inch Type C Continuous Field ( ). NATAS Honor for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development for the standards work associated with the compatible one-inch Type C Videotape Format ( ) NATAS Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development for early recognition of the need for a digital video studio standard, acceptance of the EBU (European Broadcast Union) proposed component requirement, and development of the hierarchy and line lock 13.5 MHz demonstration specifications, which provided the basis for a world standard ( ). NATAS Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development for early recognition of the need for a component digital video tape recording standard, development of a recording system based on the worldwide standard for digital component sampling, and coordination with the EBU to provide the basis for a world standard for digital component video tape recording ( ). AMPAS Board of Governors Special Commendation for the contributions of the members of the engineering committees of SMPTE: By establishing standards, they have greatly contributed to making film a primary form of international communication (1990). NATAS Emmy Award in Technology and Engineering, for development and standardization of digital serial interconnection (SDI) technology for television ( ). NATAS Emmy Award in Technology and Engineering, for development and standardization of MXF open file formats for the interchange of video and audio material ( ). NATAS Emmy Award in Technology and Engineering, for pioneering development and deployment of Active Format system technology and system local cable ad insertion technology digital standards for local cable advertising ( ). U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 2012 Chairman s Award for Advancement in Accessibility, presented to SMPTE for its Timed Text Standard for the captioning of video content distributed via the Internet.

6 Enabling the IP-Based Content Revolution Massive change is sweeping across the motion-imaging industry, driven by the proliferation of IP-based video, video-capable consumer display devices, and exciting new bandwidth-hungry display technologies, such as ultra high definition (UHDTV). The rapid pace of change introduces the potential for standards development to fragment across multiple organizations, corporations and individual efforts. Never has SMPTE s standards work been more vital or timely. SMPTE standards are helping members of the motion-imaging industry to achieve interoperability, accelerate time to market, and pursue new revenue streams with confidence. In 2013, SMPTE published 50 standards documents, including those related to assuring high-quality content in the IP-based video era. A few highlights: Closed captioning for online video, which has been recognized as a safe-harbor by the U.S. FCC (SMPTE Timed Text) read more. Information exchanges between business and media management systems (BXF) Internet transport of high bit-rate images, in partnership with the Video Services Forum (VSF) It would take more than 6 million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks each month in Annual global IP traffic will reach 1.3 zettabytes (10 to the 21 st power or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) per year or exabytes per month (10 to the 18 th power or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000). The gigabyte equivalent of all movies ever made will cross global IP networks every three minutes. The number of devices connected to IP networks will be nearly three times as high as the global population. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, Digital tool communication in broadcast, production, post production and archiving (FIMS, IMF, MXF) Supporting Advances in Digital Cinema Facilitating the rapid growth of the digital cinema industry has been a key SMPTE focus in recent years, and continues with ongoing development in key areas including immersive sound experiences for cinemagoers. Essence Technology Committee (10E): The application of the general scope as it applies to electronic capture, generation, editing, mastering, archiving, and reproduction of image, audio, subtitles, captions, and any other master elements required for distribution across multiple applications. Digital Cinema Technology Committee (21 DC): The application of the general scope as it applies to application of mastered essence to theatrical digital distribution, including compression, encryption, wrapping, marking, packaging, media, logging, playout, projection, reproduction, and related topics. Cinema Sound Systems (25CSS): The application of the general scope as it applies to standards for theater sound and cinema B-Chain systems, including performance, measurements, setup, calibration, acoustics and related topics. Media Packaging and Interchange Committee (35PM): The General Scope as applied to the packaging of media elements, to facilitate interchange and interoperability of formats within specific integrated application ecosystems in the professional fields of media creation, production, post-production archiving and related topics.

7 SMPTE Event Highlights SMPTE 2014 Symposium Preceding the SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, this one-day focused event covers crucial technologies impacting content creation, aggregation and distribution. 20 Oct. in Hollywood, California SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition The preeminent gathering of motion-imaging scientists, researchers, engineers, and business decision makers designed to accelerate standards development, industry expansion, technology advancements and business success Oct. in Hollywood, California SMPTE 2014 Honors & Awards These prestigious industry awards are presented annually in conjunction with the SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition. SMPTE highlights the outstanding leaders that advance the industry. 23 Oct. in Hollywood, California. SMPTE Webcasts Conveniently scheduled webcasts covering top-of-mind technology topics. Presented by industry recognized subject matter experts, SMPTE s webcasts cover a range of areas including the latest on technologies that are currently being deployed. Webcasts include specific tracks on SMPTE Standards updates, Executive Strategy Briefings and Emerging Technologies. SMPTE Virtual Classroom One of the SMPTE Professional Development Academy s most innovative educational services is its Virtual Classroom. Through the Virtual Classroom, we are able to offer a variety learning opportunities to individuals around the world. NAB Show s Technology Summit on Cinema Timely and relevant insights into the techniques and technologies driving the industry forward. 4-5 April in Las Vegas. SMPTE 2015 Forum Produced in partnership with the Germany-based Fernseh- und Kinotechnische Gesellschaft (FKTG), The Forum examines how connectivity, bandwidth, and media technology improvements will impact media production and distribution across all platforms, from cinema and broadcast to mobile and interactive new media technologies. A particular focus will be the impact of European Union (EU) policy and regulatory decisions related to net neutrality and streaming. 7 8 May 2015 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) in Berlin. Entertainment Technology in the Internet Age (ETIA) A special two-day conference to explore the technology, creative, and business requirements for delivering compelling, high-quality, monetizable entertainment over the Internet. Date and location for 2015 to be announced. SMPTE15 Conference & Exhibition Australia SMPTE s biennial Conference & Exhibition in Australia is the pre-eminent event for suppliers, technologists and content creators in the motion-imaging, sound and broadcast industries July 2015 at Morre Park Fox Studios, Sydney

8 SMPTE Digital Library A single platform for all SMPTE intellectual property, including all issues of SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal back to the first issues from 1916, conference papers and standards. SMPTE members benefit from complimentary access to the full journal collection. library.smpte.org SMPTE Test Charts SMPTE CamWhite Pocket Chart The SMPTE CamWhite pocket chart is a consistent and reliable neutral white reference with a sturdy laminated surface. Enabling users to white-balance cameras to a scene's primary light source with precision, CamWhite charts are a versatile tool for improving the production value of images saving both time and money in post. store.smpte.org/product_p/dlab-smpte-cw.htm SMPTE OneShot Pocket Chart Offered in a SMPTE-branded protective case, the DSC Labs OneShot pocket chart provides all of the color and luminance information necessary to match and reproduce color in dailies footage. Printed with a matte surface that reduces glare, the OneShot chart can be incorporated into a shot with minimal reconfiguration of cameras and lighting. This pocket tool gives users a fast means of maintaining the right look and feel for motion images, even in high pressure, timesensitive shooting environments. store.smpte.org/product_p/dlab-smpte-pos.htm SMPTE CamBook 3 The SMPTE-branded book has three charts in one. It features a number of popular DSC test elements, including the CamAlign colorbar/grayscale with SpectroGray patented spectrophotometrically neutral grayscale, a 12-chip colorbar with four standard skin tones, resolution trumpets, and both 16:9 and 4:3 framing lines. Additional DSC test elements include three matte reference chips, as well as a DSC BackFocus Pattern, all of which were previously unavailable in any CamBook. store.smpte.org/product_p/dlab-smpte-ck.htm 35mm Test Materials 35-PA Test Film Designed to facilitate quantitative measurements of projector alignment. It is produced as a camera original on black-and-white, high resolution, 35mm stock. It is intended to test various elements including, overall focus, image resolution, projector alignment, image unsteadiness, and screen image size. store.smpte.org/category_s/25.htm 35-BT Photographic Sound Buzz-Track Test Film Designed to facilitate the adjustment of the lateral position of the scanning light beam of 35mm photographic soundtrack projectors and reproducers. This film is produced as a variable area track, in such a way that the standard soundtrack area is opaque (no sound). While the areas immediately adjacent to the soundtrack area are modulated with square wave signals. The square wave signals allow you to adjust the scanning beam to its proper position. store.smpte.org/product_p/p35-bt-50.htm

9 Digital Cinema Test Materials DPROVE Digital PROjection VErifier, a set of D-Cinema Packages (DCPs) primarily intended for use in theaters as a check of digital projector performance, alignment, and picture-sound synchronization. DPROVE is derived from SMPTE RP 428-6:2009. The RP428-6 sequences include traditional countdown numerals in front of a clock arm that rotates with the position incremented on each frame. The background image contains a large number of elements to aid in verifying projection performance and alignment. These elements include center and crop markers, focus stars, gradients for detecting contouring, gamma check, black and white references, precision color patches (saturated and desaturated), human faces for flesh tones, and left-right indicators for stereo (3D) imagery. store.smpte.org/product_p/dig-dprove.htm Standardized Evaluation Material (StEM) This test material is designed to evaluate the performance of digital projectors and other elements of digital cinema systems. The material is presented as a short uncompressed digital movie available in 4K, 2K, and HD TIFF file formats. The evaluation material was produced by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) and is distributed exclusively through SMPTE. store.smpte.org/category_s/31.htm SMPTE Digital Leader The SMPTE D-Cinema Digital Leader and Digital Projection Verifier are both derived from SMPTE RP 428-6:2009. Both contain 8 second leader sequences; the Digital Leader package also includes a 4 second foot leader that may be used if required. Both products include sequences for aspect ratios of 1.85:1, 1.896:1 (maximum projection extent), and 2.39:1 at both 2k and 4k resolutions. The sequences are provided at 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 fps, and in flat (2D) and stereo (3D) versions where applicable. Each product includes all versions currently defined in SMPTE Standards. The RP428-6 sequences include traditional countdown numerals in front of a clock arm that rotates with the position incremented on each frame. The background image contains a large number of elements to aid in verifying projection performance and alignment. These elements include center and crop markers, focus stars, gradients for detecting con-touring, gamma check, black and white references, precision color patches (saturated and desaturated), human faces for flesh tones, and left-right indicators for stereo (3D) imagery. Audio pops are included to assist in verifying picture-sound synchronization. The Digital Leader product is primarily intended for postproduction facilities, to permit the addition of leaders and/or foot leaders to DCDM reels intended for conversion to encrypted DCPs. The product delivery includes numbered sets of TIFF and WAV files for each of the standardized variants. store.smpte.org/product_p/dig-leader.htm SMPTE Registration Authority, LLC (SMPTE-RA) SMPTE-RA provides a variety of registration and repository services for the industry and is authorized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to register MPEG-2 format identifiers per ISO/IEC :2000. Many SMPTE Standards incorporate tables of values or identifiers that may be updated from time to time (usually by the addition of new values). SMPTE-RA also serves as the repository for all such tables, providing timely updates without re-publication of the underlying document. SMPTE-RA provides the repository for the SMPTE Metadata Dictionary, and will soon offer registration services for metadata elements.

10 SMPTE Leadership: A Who s Who of the Media, Entertainment, and IT Industries SMPTE leadership represents the world s best-known media, entertainment, and IT businesses, Fortune 100 brands, and industry-leading companies. Current Executive Committee leadership includes: Wendy Aylsworth, President, Warner Bros. Peter Ludé, Past President, Mission Rock Digital, LLC Robert P. Seidel, Executive Vice President, CBS Television Network Alan Lambshead, Standards Vice President, Evertz (retired) Matthew Goldman, Finance Vice President, Ericsson Patrick Griffis, Education Vice President, Dolby Laboratories Paul Stechly, Membership Vice President, Applied Electronics Ltd. Peter Wharton, Secretary/Treasurer, Miranda Technologies Barbara Lange, Executive Director, SMPTE The SMPTE Board of Governors is composed of representatives from across the IT, motion picture, and television industries. Current Governors include: Dan Burnett, Southern Region Governor, Ericsson Television, Inc. Paul Chapman, Hollywood Region Governor, Foto-Kem Industries, Inc. Randy Conrod, Canadian Region Governor, Harris Corp Angelo D Alessio, Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Central and South America Region Governor, CDG CineDesign Group William T. Hayes, Central Region Governor, Iowa Public Television Sara J. Kudrle, Western Region Governor, Miranda Technologies Inc. Karl Kuhn, Eastern Region Governor, Tektronix, Inc. Kwok-Luen Lam, Asia/Australia Region Governor, Hong Kong Cable TV Ltd (retired) John Maizels, Asia/Australia Region Governor, Entrophy Enterprises Pierre Marion, Canadian Region Governor, CBC/Radio-Canada John McCoskey, Eastern Region Governor, MPAA William C. Miller, New York Region Governor, Miltag Media Technology, LLC Mark Narveson, Western Region Governor T.J. Scott, Jr, Southern Region Governor, Grass Valley USA, LLC Leon Silverman, Hollywood Region Governor, The Walt Disney Studios Clyde Smith, Hollywood Region Governor, FOX Networks Richard Welsh, Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Central and South America Region Governor, Sundog Media Toolkit, Ltd. SMPTE Directors are appointed by the Standards, Education and Membership Vice-Presidents: V. Michael Bove, Education Director, MIT Media Laboratory Michael DeValue, Education Director, The Walt Disney Studios Al Kovalick, Education Director, Media Systems Consulting Pete Putman, Education Director, ROAM Consulting, LLC Bruce Devlin, International Sections Membership Director, AmberFin, Ltd. Karl Kuhn, North American Sections Membership Director, Tektronix, Inc. William C. Miller, Student Membership Director, Miltag Media Technology, LLC Bob Edge, Standards Director, Bob Edge TV Consulting Howard Lukk, Standards Director, The Walt Disney Studios Oliver Morgan, Standards Director, Metaglue Corp. Requests for interviews with SMPTE leadership should be submitted to aimeericca@smpte.org